"The contract for gas shipments, signed with the Russian Federation in 2009, envisions price formation in line with the European formula, and adjustment of the price without any sanctions or surrender of national interests," Tymoshenko said in a letter to Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, circulated by the Batkivschyna party on Tuesday.

Clause 4 of Article 4 of the contract sets forth a special procedure, Tymoshenko writes. "If either party says that the situation on the fuel and energy market has noticeably changed compared to the one the parties reasonably expected when the contract was being negotiated, while the contract price cited in Clause 4.1 of the contract stops reflecting the market price, the parties will start talks to review the contract price in compliance with the provisions of the contract," the letter says.

"If one’s brains don’t work well enough and if professionalism and natural abilities are lacking to forge an agreement the way I did at one time in order to gain an acceptable discount on the gas price, calculated by the European formula (and to come to $232.98 per 1,000 cubic meters, which I managed to negotiate in 2009), one must make use of the marked point in the contract and not surrender the country’s strategic national interests in exchange for shadow corrupt kickbacks," the ex-prime minister said.

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